Ride in style with these three near-luxury crossovers

This trio of family haulers offers some tempting savings

by
Graeme Fletcher | June 24, 2016

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On the last three Fridays of every month, Graeme Fletcher combines manufacturers’ incentives from Unhaggle.com with resale value, dependability and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new cars. This week, we look at near-luxury crossovers. The hot deals are on the 2016 GMC Terrain SLT AWD, Lincoln MKC Premier AWD and Range Rover Evoque 2.0 HSE AWD.

Of the three Unhaggle deals, the GMC Terrain has been around the longest and this in spite of a minor rework this year. This puts it at somewhat of a competitive disadvantage. That said, the old adage about leaving well alone does have its merits here — the Terrain has one of the quietest cabins in the segment. It boils down to the triple door seals, laminated side windows and active noise suppression. This and the quality of the highway ride make the Terrain a very comfortable long-distance cruiser.

There is also plenty of space and utility. Up front, the driver is treated to an eight-way heated power seat with lumbar adjustment, seven-inch touchscreen, premium Pioneer sound system, rear-view camera and five years of base OnStar (six months with turn-by-turn navigation). The riders also have access to a 4G LTE Wi-Fi connection.

The rear seat slides back and forth by 200 millimetres, which gives the riders more leg space or greater cargo carrying ability with five aboard. As for cargo space, the Terrain has 895 litres with the seats upright and 1,809 L when folded flat.

The Terrain’s base engine is an anemic 2.4-litre four-cylinder with 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. While it gets the job done, it does so in a rather belaboured manner — any four-banger motivating 1,845 kilograms has its work cut out for it! The better choice, and really the only choice, is the 3.6L V6 engine ($1,725). It ups the ante to 301 hp, 272 lb.-ft. of torque and brings a beefier 1,136-kilogram towing capability — that’s 456 kilos more than the four-cylinder model. Both engines are teamed with a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive in the SLT model.

The Unhaggle price for the GMC Terrain SLT AWD is $34,590 after savings of $3,000.

Slip into the Lincoln MKC and the cabin fairly bristles with technology — everything from a push-button shifter to the Sync 3 infotainment system with an eight-inch touch screen that recognizes pinch and swiping motions. It also has voice recognition and five-way steering wheel-mounted controls. Other equipment includes a 10-way heated power driver seat with memory, rear-view camera and nine-speaker audio system. What’s missing is blind spot monitoring.

As with the Terrain, the MKC makes good use of noise cancelling to deliver a hushed ride. Finally, the SOS Post-Crash Alert system activates the four-way flashers as well as unlocking the doors if the air bags deploy.

Move rearward and the back seat riders are greeted by somewhat tight confines. There is plenty of headroom; it’s the leg space that’s tight. It also lags many competitors in terms of cargo capacity — 712 L with the seats upright and 1,505 L when folded down. This is not a surprise given the Ford Escape was the starting point.

The MKC Premier arrives with a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine (240 hp and 270 lb.-ft. of torque), six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive and an advanced suspension with adaptive damping. The latter allows the driver to select comfort, normal and sport modes. It delivers a good balance between ride comfort and handling characteristics. Lincoln also has the steering dialed in — it is quick to respond without feeling twitchy.

The Lincoln MKC Premier has $2,750 in savings and a $39,230 Unhaggle price.

The Evoque is Range Rover’s entry-level offering, although that’s a term used advisedly, as the featured HSE arrives very well equipped. The list is too extensive to list here, but the highlights include sumptuous Oxford Leather seating, an eight-inch infotainment screen that includes navigation as well as front and rear parking aids with a rearview camera. The latter is much needed as the avant-garde look comes at the expense of the sightlines.

Move rearward and things are tight. Legroom all but disappears with a tall driver up front and the cargo capacity is tight — 575 L seats up and 1,445 L down. That, however, really does not matter if you want a utility vehicle with the heart of a sports car — it is easily the most agile of this trio and the segment in general. All four wheels are driven through a nine-speed automatic transmission and powered by a perky 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine — the 240 hp and 250 lb.-ft. of torque bring a crisp response to driver input. Ditto the steering, as it’s quick and reassuringly precise. However, the Evoque’s ability does not stop where the road ends. Land Rover’s Terrain Response system optimizes traction over a wide range of driving conditions. The suspension also does a good job of minimizing body roll on-road while delivering the ride needed to negotiate a gnarly off-road trail.

Range Rover’s popular Evoque has $6,000 in savings and an Unhaggle price of $52,205.

Conclusion

The GMC Terrain has a good safety rating and is an IIHS Top Safety Pick. The Lincoln MKC is rated as good in the moderate overlap and side impact tests, but no other results are listed. The Range Rover Evoque is an anomaly, as no safety ratings are listed — not IIHS nor NHTSA. This does not spell disaster, as niche vehicles are often bypassed. None crack the list of the top 10 cheapest crossovers to insure in Canada.

All three of these crossovers are good candidates for the hot deal of the week. Yes, the GMC Terrain is getting long in the tooth, but if long-distance comfort is paramount it works very well. The Range Rover Evoque is the driver’s car of the trio, although the performance does come at a cost; it is also the only one with any real off-road potential. That leaves the Lincoln MKC. The fact it is nattily attired, content rich and an eager performer tips the hot deal scale in its favour.